Glass melter off-gas system pluggages: Cause, significance, and remediation

Conference · Tue Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:10136832

Jantzen, C M

Liquid high-level nuclear waste will be immobilized at the Savannah River Site (SRS) by vitrification in borosilicate glass. Experimental glass melters, used to develop the vitrification process, have occasionally experienced problems with pluggage of the off-gas line with solid deposits. The deposits were determined to be mixtures of alkali rich chlorides, sulfates, borates, and fluorides with entrained insoluble particles of Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} spinel, and frit. The distribution and location of the alkali deposits throughout the off-gas system indicate that the deposits form by vapor-phase transport and condensation. Condensation of the alkali-rich phases cements the entrained particulates causing the off-gas system pluggages. The identification of vapor phase transport as the operational mechanism causing off-gas system pluggages indicates that deposition can be effectively eliminated by increasing the off-gas velocity. The cementitious alkali borates, halides, and sulfates comprising the off-gas line deposits were determined to be water soluble. Thus pluggage can be effectively removed with water and/or steam.

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-89SR18035
• OSTI ID: 10136832
• Report Number(s): WSRC-MS--91-009; CONF-9104256--16; ON: DE92009875
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052001
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360602
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400102
BORATES
BOROSILICATE GLASS
CHEMICAL AND SPECTRAL PROCEDURES
CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
CRYSTALLOGRAPHY
DEPOSITS
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
HALIDES
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
OFF-GAS SYSTEMS
PHASE STUDIES
QUALITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
SAMPLING
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
STRUCTURE AND PHASE STUDIES
SULFATES
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
VAPOR CONDENSATION
VITRIFICATION
WASTE PROCESSING
X-RAY DIFFRACTION